126-086 The Nordic Languages in Society

European studies students wishing to enrol in this subject would normally have completed first year European studies, see Prerequisites.

The Nordic region can be defined as consisting of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, and is represented by eight indigenous languages spoken by some 22 million people. This subject investigates the languages and speech communities of this region and focuses on the ecology of these languages, i.e. their interrelations with each other and the communities in which they function. Topics discussed also include the inter-linguistic relations between the Nordic region and the rest of the world, the relationships between majority and minority languages, dialects and sociolects versus standard, language planning, as well as aspects of mutual intelligibility and 'semi-communication'. On completion of this subject students should have increased their general awareness of the social and cultural aspects of language, through the study of a specific region.